AI Tennessee

Research Areas

The evolution of AI is driving lasting transformation in science, industry, and education

UT faculty and students are deepening the world’s understanding of AI performance and harnessing its power to make life and lives better. Together we are working across five interdisciplinary research areas to create AI-driven solutions to the complex technical, economic, and social challenges facing our Tennessee communities and beyond.

Doctoral Student Corey Johnson in Robotics Lab.

AI for Education and Workforce Development

Empowering both today’s workers and future generations to engage responsibly with AI and realize its personal, social, and economic benefits 

AI for education and workforce development at UT
Charles Liu, associate professor of business analytics and statistics, leads a research session with his students in Stokely Management Center at the University of Tennessee.

AI for Knowledge and Discovery

Accelerating breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, and materials science using AI and advancing AI through the application of scientific principles

AI for Knowledge and discovery at UT
A student works in an engineering lab at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

AI Systems

Designing systems built on the fundamentals of AI to solve real-world challenges and enable new ways of working 

AI systems at UT
Ryan Garcia machines the top left quadrant of the SEC logo made by UT’s team during the inaugural SEC Machining Competition held at the University of Tennessee’s new Manufacturing and Design Enterprise in Hardin Valley, Tennessee.

Applied AI

Exploring the implementation and governance of AI in industrial and societal contexts to enhance productivity, efficiency, and human well-being 

APPLIED AI at UT
Dr. Karen Tobias trains veterinary surgical residents in the ala vestibuloplasty technique for brachycephalic dogs using 3D-printed nasal facsimiles in the simulation lab of the Pendergrass Library at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

Fundamentals of AI

Advancing the foundational components of AI and high-performance computing systems including theory, hardware, statistical models, and machine learning  

FUNDAMENTALS OF AI at UT
Alexis McCraw, 3rd year Phd student in Experimental Psychology, uses computer games to stimulate a minor’s brain waves in the Attention, Brain, and Cognition Lab in the Austin Peay Building at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.